


Our Favorite Surprise

by mylifeiskara



Series: t100 Fic for BLM Prompts [11]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dad!Murphy, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Parents!Memori
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:00:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29415258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylifeiskara/pseuds/mylifeiskara
Summary: Five times Emori and John were completely clueless about parenting, and one time they knew what they were doing.
Relationships: Emori/John Murphy (The 100)
Series: t100 Fic for BLM Prompts [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2105646
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16
Collections: The t100 Writers for BLM Initiative





	Our Favorite Surprise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DialedIn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DialedIn/gifts).



> Hello!
> 
> This was a prompt I received through t100 Fic for BLM. You can check out more about the initiative on [our carrd](https://t100fic-for-blm.carrd.co/).
> 
> The prompt was basically just Murphy and Emori going through the first few months of parenthood and being cute and in love, so this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy!

**1**

The last twenty-six hours have been a whirlwind for Emori. She’s never been in so much pain in her life, but nothing has ever felt more worth the wait than sitting in the hospital bed and cradling her baby daughter in her arms. John is right beside her, his arm resting lightly on her shoulder. Every so often he presses a kiss to the top of her head. Emori’s exhausted, but she can’t bring herself to put Ana down.

“I can’t stop looking at her,” Emori whispers.

“She’s perfect,” John says. “My two perfect girls.”

She chuckles. “Please, I’m far from perfect. But I’m just glad Ana was able to get here okay.”

“Of course she got here okay. Because you’re a rockstar.”

Emori smiles and leans into John’s touch. She doesn’t know what she’d do without him, and she’s so glad that she has him on this journey.

Emori and John had only been together about a year when Emori found out she was pregnant. Her initial reaction was panic, mainly because it wasn’t even close to something that was in their plan. They barely had a plan, they were just enjoying each other’s company. She knew she loved John, and she knew he loved her, but he was still a few years younger than her. How would he feel about raising a baby he hadn’t planned on? Emori had never thought about having kids of her own much, but the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of having a baby. A baby that was half hers and half John’s. She wanted things to work out between them, but first she had to tell him.

John’s initial reaction when Emori broke the news was better than she thought it would be, though the color did drain from his face. But he was quick to say that he would support Emori in whatever way she needed him to, because he loved her and would love this baby if she decided she wanted to keep it. From that moment on, Emori was calmed by the fact that John wouldn’t just up and leave her. He assured her multiple times throughout the pregnancy that he was in this for the long haul and he only wanted to be with her. He was always a fairly attentive boyfriend, but now he was even more attentive. As the months went by, he got more and more excited about the baby, which made Emori more excited in turn. She felt like she could let herself enjoy this experience more now that she knew where John stood. She’d never been more sure about anything in her life than what she had with him, and it warmed her heart knowing he felt the same.

“You hear that, Ana? Your mommy is a rockstar,” John whispers to the baby.

“Do you want to hold her?” Emori asks. She feels like she’s been hogging Ana, but holding her already feels like second nature. But she should probably give John another chance.

“You sure?”

Emori chuckles. “She’s your baby, too.”

John smiles and nods, moving his arm from around Emori’s shoulder so he can reposition himself before they switch. Ana stirs slightly as Emori moves her to John’s arms.

“We’re just gonna give Daddy a chance to hold you, that’s all,” she coos. Emori smiles as John lights up as he gets to hold their daughter.

“I’m a dad,” he says, marveling at Ana as she stares up at him blankly. He turns to Emori. “We’re parents.”

She nods. “We’re parents.”

Parents. The weight of the word really hits Emori for the first time. It’s not as though she hasn’t been thinking about the fact for the past nine months. But before Ana was actually out in the world, it didn’t feel as real. More like a vague concept than something that she actually is. Now Ana is here, and Emori and John have a little human that is going to rely entirely on them. She’s going to grow up before their very eyes and they’re responsible for guiding her and caring for her. Emori’s never been needed by someone else like that. Frankly, it’s terrifying.

“John, I’m scared,” Emori says quietly.

He looks up from staring at Ana, a frown on his face. “Huh?”

“I’m scared. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

John shrugs. “Does anyone, really? I mean, we’ve read all the books.”

“That’s different than her actually being here and us actually having to take care of her now that she’s here.”

He nods. “Yeah. I guess I’m scared too. But it’s not like anyone really knows what to do when the baby actually gets here. They’re all faking it. And idiots raise perfectly normal babies. At least we’re not idiots.”

Emori laughs. “That’s true.”

“It’s okay to admit you’re scared. It’s a scary thing. But we have each other, and I know just having you by my side every step of the way is going to make this parenting thing ten times more bearable. I can’t imagine doing this with anyone but you.”

She smiles at him and reaches up to kiss him. John always knows the exact right thing to say to calm her, to set her mind at ease.

“I can’t imagine doing this with anyone but you, either,” Emori says as she pulls away. “I love you, and I love our sweet baby.”

John smiles. “I love you, too.”

Emori can’t say she’s not scared anymore, but at least she’s slightly less worried. She knows there’s a long road ahead and having a newborn isn’t an easy feat in the slightest. But she knows she’ll get through it with John by her side.

**2**

It’s been about a month since Ana was born, and Emori doesn’t think she’s ever been this tired. For the most part, Ana has been a great baby, though Emori doesn’t have much experience with babies besides babysitting a couple of times for Monty and Harper. It turns out having a baby of her own that she can’t give back at the end of the night is much different. Because it means that she’s the one losing sleep.

“It helps that she’s so fucking cute,” John grumbles as they hear her cries over the baby monitor.

Emori groans. “I had just fallen asleep.”

John pats her arm. “I can get her.”

“Are you sure? She probably needs to eat.”

“I’ll just get a bottle. You get some rest. I got this.” He kisses her on the forehead and Emori feels him get up from bed and shuffle towards Ana’s room.

Emori hears John over the monitor as she starts to drift off to sleep. “Hey, squirt. Yeah, I know being a baby is tough. Let’s get you something to eat.”

Emori has always been a fairly light sleeper. In some respects that’s been pretty helpful in the month they’ve had Ana, seeing as John is a notoriously heavy sleeper. Emori’s watched him fall asleep at even the loudest movies and is in awe of how he can sleep through explosions every time. She tries to channel some of that energy, hoping she can get at least a couple hours of sleep in tonight.

After what feels like twenty minutes, she finds herself finally starting to drift off. She smiles to herself, willing sleep to overtake her. Emori doesn’t think she’s ever appreciated rest so much in her life. How had she ever taken it for granted in the past? She nestles further into the covers, but just as she’s about to drift off, she feels something hovering over her. Emori frowns, her eyes still closed. Is someone standing above her? Maybe it’s just in her head. She tries to focus on sleep again, wanting nothing more than to not be bothered. Unfortunately the feeling does not go away.

Emori cracks an eye open and rolls over to see John standing over her, holding Ana in his arms.

“Hi,” he whispers.

“What’s the matter?” she mumbles.

“Can you help me heat the milk, please?” It’s dark, but she can tell that he’s blushing.

“What have you been doing all this time?”

“I may have gotten carried away with a bit of an impromptu photoshoot.”

Emori raises an eyebrow. “A photoshoot?”

“She’s so cute, I couldn’t help myself!”

“She needs to eat, John!”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m asking for help with the bottle. I thought I knew how just from watching you do it but it’s late, and I’m tired, and I don’t remember.”

Emori groans before lifting herself out of bed. So much for an extra couple hours of sleep. “Come on.”

She walks to the kitchen, John wordlessly following behind her. She squints as her eyes adjust to the light. She turns and holds out her arms.

“Give me the baby,” she says.

John frowns. “But I thought—”

“I’ll walk you through the steps, but you’re going to do it yourself. For muscle memory.”

He nods and lets Emori take Ana from him. She walks him through the steps and once the bottle is warmed, he hands it to her.

“You’re at least gonna come sit with me, since you deprived me of the rest you told me I could have,” Emori grumbles.

John nods, and this time Emori can actually see the blush that spreads across his cheeks. “I guess that’s only fair.”

She snorts. “Yeah, you guess.”

They sit on the couch in the living room, and Emori gets herself situated to give Ana the bottle. She had tried breastfeeding with her, but Ana had trouble latching on. Emori’s doctor told her to keep trying, but to also try giving her bottles, so her new method is to pump breast milk and store it in the fridge for feedings later in the night. She’s not sure how John hasn’t absorbed how to heat up the bottle yet, especially when the device is not that hard to use. But Emori gets he’s probably just as tired as she is, and being tired isn’t good for anyone’s memory.

John puts his head back on the couch and watches as Ana sucks back her meal. “You’re better at it than I am, anyway.”

Emori chuckles. “It’s just holding a bottle.”

“I think she likes you more than me.”

“It’s because I’ve got boobs.” She smiles down at Ana. “Even though you don’t seem to want to use them!”

John chuckles. “Do you wanna see the pictures I took?”

“You mean the pictures you took when you were supposed to be feeding the baby in the first place?”

“If it’s any consolation, they’re really cute. Perfect for making people jealous of how our baby is obviously the best and cutest baby.”

Emori shakes her head, not bothering to hide the fond smile that spreads on her face. It’s very hard to stay mad at John, but she wasn’t really that mad at him to begin with.

He pulls out his phone and scrolls through a few pictures. In them, he’s placed Ana inside a tray that sits atop their kitchen counter.

“Look, she fits perfectly! I had to take advantage,” he explains.

Emori’s heart warms as she looks at the photos. They really are very cute. “You can post one on Instagram to mark her first month.”

“Yeah, I’m sure people will get a kick out of it. And it’s funnier than doing the baby blanket or chalkboard. Speaking of, can we get one of those?”

Emori snorts. “You want the month milestone baby blanket?”

John shrugs. “Or the chalkboard. How are we supposed to mark her milestones?”

“We’re literally living them with her, John.”

“Come on, it’s fun! Just an excuse to show her off to the world.”

Emori is glad that John continues to surprise her. She never would’ve pegged him for someone who would get excited about something as silly as monthly baby updates. But if it makes him happy, then she doesn’t see the harm in indulging it. And it does just mean more cute pictures of Ana. There can never be enough.

“I like the blanket better than the chalkboard,” she says eventually.

“I’ll start Googling some. Oh, or I could text Monty and Harper and see where they got theirs!” John rambles excitedly as Emori moves Ana to her shoulder to burp her. She chuckles to herself, glad that her boyfriend is having so much fun with this. It’s probably good that she’s with someone who’s slightly more sentimental than she is. If not for John, they probably wouldn’t have half the pictures they do of Ana anyway. She might be too tired to remember much of these first few months, but at least there’s someone documenting their journey through parenthood.

**3**

Emori and John haven’t been out with their friends since Ana was born, but they’re determined to make it to Bellamy’s birthday party. She’s three months old now, and the thought of leaving her with someone else is almost too much to bear. Emori loves spending time with her daughter and the longest she’s left Ana’s side is to go to the grocery store. When Bellamy texts their group about his birthday party, Emori texts back saying she’ll start looking for a sitter. However, Bellamy insists that they bring Ana because he wants to hang out with her too.

Ana has met all of John and Emori’s friends, though she isn’t too keen on being held by other people. With Bellamy, it’s a completely different story. Normally Ana hollered if she wasn’t in her mom or dad’s arms, but when Raven passed her to Bellamy, she stopped crying almost instantly. It was amazing to watch, and only a little bit funny since Raven took it rather personally that her godchild didn’t seem to want to be held by her.

It shouldn’t be surprising that Bellamy is a bit of a child whisperer. He’s always been the de facto dad of their friend group, and when Monty and Harper had Jordan, Jordan took to Bellamy instantly as well. Maybe it’s the timbre of his voice, maybe it’s that he’s always running a little warm. Whatever it is, Ana loves him, and Bellamy has a soft spot for Ana.

Bellamy’s birthday party marks the first time Emori and John are taking Ana somewhere other than the pediatrician’s office. They’ve been too tired to do anything lately, and as much as they love Bellamy it still feels like a chore to get dressed and leave the house. They wouldn’t do all of this for just anyone.

“We don’t have to stay long,” Emori says as John packs Ana’s diaper bag. “I don’t think anyone would blame us for dipping out early.”

“They don’t really wanna see us, anyway. They just want to hang out with the baby,” John says.

“That’s probably true.”

John zips the bag, then goes to take Ana out of her crib. “Let’s face it. Our friends don’t love us anymore. We’ve been ignoring them in favor of a clingy human, and somehow that makes them more obsessed with the clingy human.”

“We’re old news. She’s still shiny and new.”

He chuckles and shoulders the diaper bag as they head out into the hall. John straps Ana into her car seat as Emori goes through their checklist to leave the house.

“Okay. We’ve got the diaper bag. Did you get a bottle?” Emori asks.

“Yup, it’s in there.”

“And burp cloths?”

“It’s all in there, Mori. We’re all set.”

Emori nods, taking a breath. “Okay. Yeah, we’re fine. We’ve got this.”

“Yeah, we do. We’re a well-oiled parenting machine!”

She rolls her eyes and gets her purse before opening the door so they can head out. Emori abruptly stops in the doorway and John almost knocks into her as she turns back around.

“Bellamy’s present!” she says. He moves to the side so she can come back into the apartment and grab Bellamy’s wrapped gift off the coffee table.

“Okay, well I guess we can’t be perfect,” John says.

They’re the last to arrive at Bellamy’s, but nobody seems to mind, especially because it means they get to see Ana. There’s almost a mad dash to greet them, and they can barely get in the door.

“Ah, ah, ah!” John warns. “Back away until you’ve sanitized your hands.”

Emori shakes her head, stepping all the way in to give Bellamy a hug. “Happy birthday, Bellamy.”

“Thank you,” he says with a smile. He turns his attention to Ana, who is asleep in her car seat. “Hey, Ana! Thank you for coming to celebrate my birthday with me.”

“I just want the record to show that I still think it’s a little weird you insisted we bring a baby to your party when we could’ve just found a sitter,” John says.

Bellamy shrugs. “I thought I was doing you guys a favor. That way you don’t have to be sitting here the entire time wondering how she is. Remember how Harper almost cried that one time she left Jordan at home when we went out?”

Harper shakes her head. “No, I didn’t cry. That was Monty.”

“Until you’ve experienced that level of exhaustion, I don’t think you get to joke about it! I don’t care if it’s your birthday,” Monty grumbles.

“I feel you, Monty. We ran out of apples last week and I damn near lost it,” Emori admits.

Echo nods. “That’s the worst. Can we play with your baby now?”

John pulls hand sanitizer out of the diaper bag and makes everyone sanitize their hands before anyone even attempts to hold Ana. Bellamy gets to go first since it’s his birthday. As expected, she’s quiet in his arms, even going so far as to wrap a little hand around his finger. Emori nudges John to make sure he gets a picture, but of course he’s already on it.

“Is it possible that she got cuter since we last saw her?” Bellamy wonders aloud.

“You guys are just lucky she got Emori’s nose,” Raven points out.

“Hey, now! She would still be perfect even if she had my weird nose,” John protests.

The next half hour or so is just spent passing Ana around between their friends as they spend some time catching up with Emori and John. Eventually she starts to get fussy and Echo passes her back to Emori.

“I’m not sure if she’s hungry yet, she might need a diaper change,” Emori says to herself. She gets up from her spot on the couch and picks up the diaper bag, excusing herself to Bellamy’s bedroom.

She unzips the bag and takes out Ana’s little changing pad, spreading it out onto Bellamy’s bed. She carefully places Ana on the pad. Ana is a bit squirmy, and she’s making a face as though she’s uncomfortable. She lets out a lone cry as Emori gets the rest of her changing things situated.

“I know, pumpkin. Mommy’s coming,” Emori assures her as she rifles through the diaper bag. She takes out a diaper and the wipes. As she undoes the old diaper, she understands why Ana had gotten so fussy.

“We’re gonna get you all cleaned up, it’s okay.” Emori finds it comforting to talk to Ana as she changes her. Sometimes she tells her about weird encounters she has at the grocery store, other times she just narrates what she’s doing. She’s not sure why she does it, but it might be to distract her from the fact that changing her daughter is incredibly disgusting, no matter how much she loves her.

Emori puts the new diaper on Ana and goes to clasp her onesie back up, but frowns when she notices that it’s slightly soiled. The diaper must have leaked through a little.

“Okay, well you can’t go back out in this.” Emori takes the onesie off of Ana and sets it aside, going back into the diaper bag for her change of clothes. She stills as she rifles through the bag, her hand not landing on an extra onesie. Did they forget a change of clothes?

Emori looks from the bag, to Ana clad in just her diaper, then back to the bag again. It looks like they weren’t as prepared as they thought when they left the house. Ana just stares up at Emori, blissfully unaware that her mother is going through a mini crisis.

“Hey, John!” Emori calls.

It takes a few seconds, but John makes his way from the living room and pops his head into the bedroom. “What’s up?”

“Ana messed up her onesie.”

“That’s okay. I’ll just ask Bellamy for a plastic bag and we can put it in the wash when we get home,” John says as he walks further into the room.

“Yeah, but we didn’t pack a change of clothes.”

He stares at her for a moment before speaking. “Are you sure?”

“You can take a look in the bag if you want to.”

Emori waits as John rifles through the bag, the same as she had a few minutes ago.

He sighs. “Well I guess we’re not as much of a well-oiled parenting machine as we thought.”

“I guess not. We had a whole checklist, how did we forget a change of clothes?”

“It’s easy to forget when a change of clothes isn’t on your checklist in the first place.”

Emori hums in agreement and they both stare down at Ana. She has a smile on her face. Emori wishes she could smile, but she’s aware of the situation at hand.

“What do you think we should do?” John asks eventually.

“I guess we could ask Bellamy if he has a t-shirt we could borrow?”

John nods. “Yeah, that could work.” He turns and goes back out into the living room with the others, while Emori sits with Ana. This time when he comes back, he brings Bellamy with him, who goes through his drawer and pulls out an old t-shirt. They make Ana a makeshift outfit, and though she’s swimming in it, at least she’s covered up.

Though the crisis is averted and it’s funny to sit with Ana in Bellamy’s old Ark U shirt, Emori can’t help but feel like an idiot for forgetting something so simple. All babies ever do is make a mess. How did she and John _both_ forget to pack something extra? As they get in the car to go home, John reminds her that they’ve literally never taken her anywhere before. It was just their first time doing something like this, and clearly it’s a learning curve. They’re first-time parents and they’re going to make mistakes. In the grand scheme of things this isn’t even a big one. Of course she made sure John took lots of pictures of Ana in the shirt because even if the story is a bit embarrassing, she’s still the cutest baby. And when they look back on tonight, it’ll probably be a lot easier to laugh at all of this.

**4**

Emori’s not sure why, but she thinks her favorite part of having a baby is bathtime. That might seem weird to other people, but Ana also loves bathtime, and what’s better than her baby all smiley and excited? And baby products smell like heaven, so Emori’s new favorite smell is Ana right after her bath. The perfect mix of new baby smell and lotion.

Emori wraps Ana in a towel now that she’s clean and takes her back to her bedroom.

“Does it feel nice to be all clean, pumpkin?” she asks Ana as she reaches for a diaper. Ana merely gurgles in response, but Emori takes it as a yes. She takes some lotion and squirts some into her hand, rubbing her hands together. She stops before putting it on Ana, frowning as she notices a red patch on her arm.

“What’s this?” Emori wonders. How long has that been there? And why hadn’t she noticed it when she was giving Ana her bath? Ana doesn’t seem particularly bothered by it. Emori’s gotten good at being able to tell when she’s uncomfortable. But she’s mostly wondering what could have caused it.

Emori gets Ana dressed again before bringing her back out into the living room. John is sitting on the couch reading a book. He looks up as they enter the room and smiles.

“How are my favorite girls?” he asks.

“Have you noticed any weird red patches on Ana’s arm lately?” Emori asks as she sits down, not bothering to deal with pleasantries.

John frowns. “I don’t think so. Did you see one?”

“Yeah, while I was putting lotion on her after her bath. It’s like it came out of nowhere.”

“Maybe it was just a dry patch. I’m sure the lotion will help a little.”

Emori nods. “Yeah, you’re probably right. And she seems fine otherwise.”

John looks at Ana. “Are you getting sleepy, squirt? Are you cozy and ready for bed?” He reaches out for her and Emori hands her over. John gets up from the couch and bounces Ana around.

Emori can’t explain how giddy she feels watching John interact with their daughter. She’d been pretty worried about him wanting to be a dad in the first place when it came as such a surprise, but he’s been so great all throughout her pregnancy and now that Ana is here. He’s such a natural at this, and it makes Emori love him even more.

Emori is getting breakfast together the next morning when John calls her into Ana’s room. She frowns, but goes to check what’s wrong.

“What’s up?” she asks as she pokes her head in. John is standing over Ana’s changing table, Ana only in her diaper.

“It looks like the dry patch moved to her stomach.”

Emori walks over to the changing table to see that John is right. Ana still seems unbothered, sucking on her hand and staring up at her parents as they hover over her in concern.

“Do you think it’s a rash?” John asks.

“Maybe. We should call the doctor,” Emori suggests.

“No, we shouldn’t bother the doctor with something like this. We’ll look stupid. This is probably very easy to Google.”

“John, I don’t know if you should go on a WebMD spiral about something that probably isn’t a big deal. Babies get rashes. We should call the doctor.”

He grumbles inaudibly, and Emori takes his hand.

“It’s good that you’re worried. But you’ll be a lot less worried if you actually ask a professional first,” she says.

Eventually he gives in and nods. Emori goes to call their pediatrician while John continues to get Ana ready for the day.

The call with the pediatrician is brief. She explains that rashes are fairly common and can be caused for a number of reasons. Emori mentions that she’s not sure what could be causing Ana’s rash, since they haven’t changed much in terms of the products they’re using on her. When the doctor mentions that sometimes something as simple as unfamiliar fragrances can irritate a baby’s skin, Emori realizes what might have caused the rash.

John hands Ana to Emori so she can feed her and he digs into his breakfast.

“When you went to the store last, did you buy a new type of laundry detergent?” Emori asks.

John looks up from his plate. “Yeah, they didn’t have the clean breeze scent so I got lavender instead.”

“I think the fragrance might be irritating Ana’s skin. Dr. Griffin says baby skin is especially sensitive so we might want to try a gentler detergent.”

He nods. “That makes sense. I never thought that something so simple could mess with her so much.”

“Don’t feel bad, John. This sort of thing happens all the time.”

“Yeah, but shouldn’t I have known that?”

“It’s our first time doing this, remember? We can’t know everything. But that’s okay. We figure it out as we go and we do better next time. Ana’s going to be okay.”

John smiles and raises an eyebrow at her. “Next time, huh?”

Emori’s eyes widen and she feels her face heat up. She can’t believe she let that slip. It’s not like she wants another baby right this minute. But the thought of having another kid with John, maybe one that’s slightly more planned, doesn’t sound too terrible when she thinks about it.

She chuckles. “I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to another baby with you. Just not anytime soon, okay? So don’t go getting any ideas.”

He laughs. “Yeah, no. But I wouldn’t be opposed to another baby with you, either. We did such a great job with the first one.”

“Ana, I hope our arrogance doesn’t rub off on you,” Emori says to the baby. Ana just continues to nurse her bottle.

“Hey, there’s a difference between arrogance and confidence,” John says. “We toe the line everyday, but I don’t think we’ve crossed over yet.”

She shakes her head and smiles. “Shut up and eat your eggs.”

John smiles and goes back to his breakfast. Just when Emori thinks she couldn’t love him and their little family more, he somehow manages to prove her wrong. They’re starting to build a life together and she’s never been happier.

**5**

Emori loves her job. One of the first things that ran through her head when she got pregnant was figuring out how she would keep working. She was doing well at the consulting firm she was at, and she didn’t want people to think she was less reliable now that she’s a mother. The firm has a fairly flexible family leave policy, and so Emori didn’t have to worry too much about the first few months she’d be off after giving birth. She took her time and when it was time to go back to work, she was excited.

John is a freelance writer and can work from anywhere, so the transition of Emori going back to work has gone pretty smoothly. He stays at home with the baby during the day, so it’s nice that they don’t have to pay for childcare.

The thing that Emori didn’t expect when she went back to work is that she would miss Ana so much during the day. Emori is valued at her job, and she loves that feeling of being needed. But now that she’s a mom, she’s also valued and needed at home. John sends little pictures and cute videos of Ana throughout the day that make her ache to be with her daughter. Today John sends a video of Ana trying carrots. Lately he’s gotten it into his head as they introduce her to some solid foods that he should make all of the food from scratch, but some of his attempts have been abysmal. Ana doesn’t seem to like them and definitely prefers the baby food that comes in a jar.

Emori replays the video a couple times, enamored with Ana’s confused face as she seemingly decides whether or not she enjoys the carrots. John’s voice in the background narrating adds an extra layer of comedy. It’s not the first time that Emori wishes she were at home too, but on this particular day she wishes more than anything she could just be there with them.

This particular work day is filled with meetings that Emori would much rather not be at and answering emails with questions that were posed months ago and nobody seemed to retain the information beforehand. Usually she finds a lot of joy in her job, but today things are difficult. She can’t stop thinking about Ana and wanting to be home with her as she tries different foods. As the months go by, Emori finds herself almost dreading the day that Ana stands up on her own or takes her first steps. What if it happens when she’s at work? She knows John will video it for her, but it’s not the same as her being there.

Later in the afternoon, she gets a text from John asking if she can stop for a pizza on the way home. Emori frowns, but texts back yes. Normally John cooks something for dinner while he’s at home. She told him that he doesn't have to do that, but he insists, saying he finds cooking therapeutic and he wants Emori to just be able to relax and sit with Ana when she comes home.

She picks up the pizza then makes the short drive home. When she opens the door to their apartment, she finds John fast asleep on the couch and Ana sitting in her swing next to the couch with her eyes wide open. Emori puts the pizza down on the kitchen table and washes her hands before going back to the living room and giving John a light shake.

“John?” she whispers.

He grunts and cracks an eye open. “Huh?”

“I’m home with the pizza.”

He nods and sits up, rubbing his eyes as he wakes up. “I’m not really sure how long I was out for.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Emori asks. John isn’t usually so disoriented, so something must be wrong.

“Ana had a rough day. Not much could get her to really calm down, and for a while all she wanted to do was be held. I didn’t get a chance to do much else besides that.”

She rubs his arm. “Well why don’t you go have some food and just get some rest. I’ll take care of things for the rest of the evening.”

“Are you sure? I bet you’re tired from work.”

Emori shrugs. “A little. But I missed her so much today that all I want to do is hang out with her. So I don’t mind.”

John leans in and gives Emori a quick kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. I’m sorry you guys had such a rough day.”

“Eh, it happens. I’m just glad you’re here now.”

He gets up and goes to the kitchen for a slice of pizza. Emori goes to Ana’s swing and lifts her into her arms.

“Did you give Daddy a hard time today, pumpkin?” she asks. Ana rests her head on Emori’s shoulder. “I missed you today, baby. But now I’m home and we can spend some time together, okay?”

Emori feeds Ana and sits in the rocking chair in her room with her, just glad to spend a little time with her. It’s crazy that she grows so much everyday and it feels like Emori is missing so much of it. But she’s not, really. She cherishes the little moments when she gets to come home and be with her. She loves her job, but she loves being a mom, too. It hasn’t been all sunshine and roses, but if anyone’s up for a challenge, it’s Emori.

Once Ana is down for the night (or at least the next few hours), Emori puts on her pajamas and gets in bed. John is already half asleep on his side.

“Were you waiting up for me? You didn’t have to,” Emori says.

John smiles sleepily. “I know. But I wanted to talk to you, I haven’t seen you all day.”

Emori leans over and kisses his cheek, then rests her head on his shoulder. “I really missed you guys. It feels like I’m missing so much when I’m at work, it just makes me want to come home and be with you.”

“Well be glad you missed today. It’s like she ate those carrots and turned into a demon.”

Emori laughs. “Yeah, the carrots are definitely what did it.”

“You don’t have proof that I’m wrong.”

They talk for a little while longer, both of them worn out from the day. Emori loves these moments with John at the end of the day. It solidifies further how right things feel with him. They really got thrown a curveball when she got pregnant, but she wouldn’t have chosen a different partner in all of this, so she’s glad of the curveball that gave them Ana. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

**6**

Emori enters the apartment and frowns. It’s quiet. Almost too quiet. The scent of cinnamon wafts through the air and she follows it to the kitchen. John is taking cookies out of the oven and putting them on the stove. The baby monitor is on the counter, so Ana must be down for a nap. John turns around and smiles at her.

“Hey, baby,” he says. He walks up to her and kisses her on the cheek.

“Hi,” she says. “What’s all this?”

John shrugs. “I was feeling like snickerdoodles. And Ana’s been pretty good today, so I had time to make some.”

“So you guys had a good day?” Emori asks as she goes to the sink and washes her hands.

“Yeah. She ate the homemade baby food and didn’t spit it out. So I take that as a win.”

“Impressive!”

“How was work?”

Emori nods. “Pretty good. The site visit went well, and things seem to be moving along on schedule.”

“That’s great.”

A cry from the baby monitor interrupts them as Ana wakes up from her nap. John sighs and moves to get her, but Emori stops him.

“I’ll go,” she says. “You get to hang out with her all day.”

John chuckles and gestures towards the door. “Suit yourself.”

Emori goes into Ana’s room and turns on the light. She looks down at her in her crib and when Ana sees her face, her cries stop.

“Hi, pumpkin. It’s so nice to see you!” Emori reaches down to take Ana out of her crib. She bounces her a few times, then kisses her on the head, taking in the nice baby scent she’ll never get tired of. She knows she’ll miss the day when Ana doesn’t smell like that anymore.

“Did you have a nice day with Daddy? I heard you were such a good girl. Let’s see if you need a diaper change, huh?”

Emori spends some time with Ana while John gets dinner together. The rest of the evening is easy, them filling each other in on their days and going through Ana’s nightly routine. For the first time in about six months, Emori doesn’t feel all that exhausted. Sure she’s tired, but it finally feels like she and John are in the swing of things. They’re not as clueless as they were at the beginning and it’s so gratifying to watch Ana change with each passing day.

Once Ana is down, they sit together on the couch in the living room to watch a movie. They have a bowl of popcorn and the cookies that John made earlier, along with a couple glasses of wine. Emori’s head is on John’s shoulder and she’s curled into his side, his arm wrapped around her.

“I think we’re finally starting to get the hang of this parenting thing,” John remarks.

Emori nods. “Yeah, I’d say so.” She lifts her head from his shoulder to look at him. “I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you as my partner in all this.”

John blushes and Emori can’t help but chuckle. He’s so adorable sometimes, she can’t stand it and she’s still in awe that she gets to be a part of his life.

“I’m serious, John. I’ve had a couple of pregnancy scares before this, before I met you. And when I thought this was just another scare, I didn’t have the same sense of dread as I did the other times. Sure, I was a little worried that you’d freak out, because what 26-year-old wants to hear that their girlfriend is pregnant? But deep down I knew you wouldn’t run from this. And the guys from my past certainly would have. This isn’t the way I thought things would’ve gone for us, but if anything, it’s proven even more why I love you. You’re such a good dad, and I hope you know that.”

John smiles, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you. And you’re a good mom. I know you get worried because you’re working and not here all the time anymore, but Ana knows how much you love her. And you’re here for the moments that count.”

Emori doesn’t expect to get teary-eyed, but ever since giving birth she’s been way more emotional. She didn’t think she could ever hold as much love in her heart as she does for both John and Ana, but she’s never been more grateful to be proven wrong. John lifts a hand to her face to wipe away her tears.

“Are you turning sappy on me?” he asks.

“You can’t say nice things like that and then just expect me to not get emotional!”

“Eh, you can get sappy. It’s pretty cute.”

She reaches up to catch his lips with hers. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Emori nestles back into John’s side and they turn their attention back to the movie. It’s not all that interesting, and she’s not sure why they picked it so after a while, Emori distracts them again, taking advantage of the fact that Ana’s asleep for the moment to initiate a little “adult time”. They don’t get past making out, Emori on her back on the couch as John hovers above her when they hear Ana’s cries over the baby monitor. They both groan, but chuckle as John hops up from the couch.

“I’ll get her,” he says before disappearing down the hall.

Emori smiles after him, not all that mad they got interrupted. She knows they’ll find ways to get creative as Ana gets older. She knows that she’s in this with John for the long haul, and the mere thought of it makes her insanely happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you think.
> 
> You can check out what else I have coming up next on my [fic schedule](https://queenemori.tumblr.com/post/641216982338945024/karas-upcoming-fic-schedule-this-is-my-pinned).
> 
> And as always, come find me on [Tumblr](https://queenemori.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/queen_emori).


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